


The Best Birthday Gift Ever!

by Brynhildr



Series: 40 Days Of Middle Earth [33]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, It is all about the elk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 23:23:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14146884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brynhildr/pseuds/Brynhildr
Summary: Tilda wants an elk for her birthday.Her father says, "no!"What else is she supposed to do but find a way to get one herself!





	The Best Birthday Gift Ever!

**Author's Note:**

> This is Thursday's story posted late... I actually fell asleep while writing it. Oops! Enjoy!

"Please!" 

"No! And those big eyes will not work on me, young lady!" Bard said as he wagged his finger at his youngest daughter. "Don't even try."

Tilda huffed and sat back down at the dinner table next to her snickering brother.

"Just you wait till your birthday and you ask Da for a sword or a new bow or whatever it is you want and see what he says then!" Tilda responded petulantly.

"Bain doesn't want an elk for his birthday," Sigrid said as she passed around a plate filled with bread rolls. "He wants a dwarven war ram."

"No rams, no elks, no hogs, no ponies," Bard counted off on his fingers.

"A rabbit?" Tilda asked hopefully.

"Nothing we have to feed," Bard said loudly.

"What about a baby brother?" Tilda asked thoughtfully. Bard choked on his ale and sputtered.

"Babies don't work like that, Tilly," Bain said while Sigrid helped her father wipe up the drink he had spilled. Bard just wanted to bang his head against the table.

"What about a cat?"

"Ugh!" Bard groaned and slumped into the table. "No animals."

......

"My Lord, a letter for you from Dale." 

Thranduil looked up from his desk where he was reading an incredibly boring report on the amount of barley consumed in the Greenwood versus the amount of rye and whether or not they need to plant more next year or import from the south. It was nearly the size of a small book and Thranduil was overly tempted to toss it into the fire. A letter would be a respite.

"Thank you, Galion," the king said as he rose from his desk and accepted the slightly crumpled looking folded paper from the elf's extended hand. He stepped closer to the fire and frowned at the childish looking handwriting in confusion. Opening the letter he discovered the letter was most definitely the oddest correspondence he had ever received.

"Dear Mister Thranduil, King of the Elves, with the pretty hair and elks,  
I'm Tilda and my birthday will be next month. My Da said I couldn't have an elk or anything else that you have to feed really but I want an elk. Your elk was very pretty. Could you pretty please tell my Da that elks are special and I should have an elk because I'm special? If I can't have an elk maybe you can convince him I need a baby brother.   
Thank you very much,   
Tilda, daughter of Bard  
PS I also want to learn how to braid hair as pretty as the elf lady Tauriel who fought the orcs. She had pretty hair too."

Thranduil sat next to the fire for quite some time before he thought of a suitable response. He pulled out a clean parchment and began writing.

.....

"Tilly, you've got a letter," Sigrid called as she sorted through the post brought from Mirkwood. "Why have you got a letter from the elves?"

"Because I sent a letter, silly!" Tilda responded as she rushed into the room and grabbed the letter before running it again. Sigrid just shook her head and pulled out another letter to her Da from one of the more annoying widows that kept trying to wed her father. She briefly scanned the contents before she tossed it into the fire. It flamed high and burned quickly. Sigrid smiled in satisfaction as she opened up another letter and read on.

.....

"To Tilda, daughter of Bard The Dragonslayer, Princess of Dale,  
Greetings from the Woodland Realm.  
I'm sorry to hear that your father cannot see the beauty in elks and your desire to ride one of your own. Your father most likely does not think that an elk could live happily in a crowded city, but a well trained elk can live anywhere as long as there is enough room for them to move and run about very few days. I will make sure he understands this when I bring my own gift to you: a young elk related to my own by blood. He is gentle and young enough that he will be  easy to train to live in and around your city. I am curious as to why you wish for a new sibling. Do you not already have a brother and a sister? As to your question on hair braiding, all elves know how to do hair braiding, to a certain extent. But, unless it is for ceremonial purposes, it is usually done by a close friend or family member. I'm sure Tauriel will be willing to show you Some of her techniques.  
Best regards, Thranduil Oropherion, King Of The Woodland Realm"

Tilda squealed and excitedly ran to her little box for quills and ink to write a reply.

.......

Bard wondered why his daughter received such a steady stream of correspondence from the elves, but figured it was only Tauriel being kind. He shrugged it off and forgot about it.

Later he really wished he hadn't.

......

Bard woke up early on Tilda's birthday to a loud scream of delight. He was halfway down the stairs on reflex before he realized he was only wearing loose sleep pants, but continued running through the house. He skidded to a stop right outside the front door where all three of his children were standing in their sleep clothes, little Tilda hugging the surprised Elvenking about the waist. Standing next to the King was his own stoic elk, but to his left was a slightly smaller female who was currently trying to eat Bain's hair as he and Sigrid giggled. Tilda wouldn't stop thanking the king, even when he tried to gently dislodge her from is waist.

"That's an elk," Bard said dumbly. Everyone silenced themselves and looked around at him. 

"Greetings, King Bard of Dale!" Thranduil said with a smirk. "I came to present young Princess Tilda with a gift to celebrate her birth."

"That's an elk," Bard repeated. One of the elven guard behind Thranduil barely held in a laugh.

"It came to my attention that Tilda wished to learn how to ride and I thought this would be a good chance to strengthen ties between our kingdoms as Tilda and the elk will need to be trained."

"You gifted my child an elk," Bard said as he stared at the creature. Thranduil practically rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Yes, she now has an elk to ride and that will protect her in the event of another orc attack." Thranduil explained slowly.

Bard blinked a few times then turned around and reentered his home.

"I'm still asleep. This is a bad dream. It's not even fully day yet," Bard muttered to himself as he trudged up the stairs. Everyone watched him go silence until Tilda tugged on the Elf King's robes and he looked down at her.

"Da's a bit grumpy before he wakes fully. Would you like to come in?" She looked around at the other elves. "Your guards too? Sigrid can start breakfast."

"What about the Elks?" Bain asked. "They won't fit inside."

Thranduil gave a soft command and both of the elk gracefully sank down to the ground to wait patiently.

"Oh, that's handy!" Bain exclaimed. 

Tilda grabbed Thranduil's hand and pulled him inside the house.

"Come on! You can tell me how you plan on convincing my Da to let me keep her!"

......

Bard walked into the kitchen thirty minutes later to find Sigrid and two elves at the stove, four elves and two children at the table, and one Elven King passing around a platter of sliced apples.

"Ah, Bard! I'm glad you could join us, fully clothed this time." Thranduil said.

"We are going to have words later," he said as he sat down next to his littlest daughter. "But right now we are going to eat Tilly's favorite foods and do everything she wants today."

"I still think cheese and some sandwiches are strange," Bain muttered. 

"Can I bring some apples to Daffodil?" Tilda asked.

"Who's Daffodil?" Bard asked cautiously as one of the elves nodded and handed her two bright red apples. 

"My Elk!" Tilda exclaimed. "Mister Thranduil said I get to name her!" She said before rushing out the door with one of the elven guard gracefully shadowing her.

"Words." Bard said to Thranduil as the elf openly smirked at him. "So many words."

"Does this mean I can ask the dwarves for a war ram?" Bain asked suddenly.

"NO!" 

.......

 

(The dwarves, of course, gifted Prince Bain with a war ram as soon as they heard about Princess Tilda's Elk. The children were thrilled. Bard and Thranduil were less than amused.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thranduil convinced Bard to keep the elk by explaining Tilda's secondary wish for a baby brother and how much easier it would be to train an elk than to procure and take care of an infant for years. Bard was horrified that the elf would steal a child. Thranduil laughed uncontrollably at his face until Bard realized he was joking.
> 
> .  
> .  
> .
> 
> Only two more stories left after this! Wish me luck!


End file.
